


Teacher

by phaedra4



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7331068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phaedra4/pseuds/phaedra4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khadgar learns the sword and teaches magic</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teacher

Porenn walked to the sound of wooden practice swords clacking against each other in the yard. The day was cold and a blustery wind was gusting Stormwind. Lothar and the others had returned from his visit to the Alterac Mountains and Porenn was over the worst of the virus she had picked up during the chase through Silverpine, though she was still quite sick. Her bones and joints still ached, she still had a cough and her temperature was still high, though not as high as it had been. It had a been a particularly nasty virus and she tired easily still.  
She shivered and pulled Khadgar’s cloak tighter around her as she walked, the wind piercing her to the bone. His cloak was dragging on the floor behind her but she didn’t think he’d mind much; he could clean it with magic anyway.  
She stepped into the yard and found him there with Anduin and a handful of other soldiers. One was Rowan and the others were all young new recruits who were learning the sword.   
Looking up as she arrived Khadgar smiled at her. She returned the gesture with a kiss blown in his direction and moved to sit on a barrel.   
Khadgar was extremely unhappy with his current situation. Even less so now the love of his life, who just so happened to be a skilled swordswoman with years of battle experience who could hit a target dead on with a throwing knife from 50 yards and kill a man with her bare hands, had arrived to watch him wave a sword around and looking like a fool.  
He cursed under his breath but smiled at her nonetheless, he was always happy to see her face, just less keen on her witnessing his humiliation.   
Lothar took advantage of the younger man’s distraction and took a swing, cracking him around the head with the heavy wooden practice sword, sending him sprawling into the dust.   
“Never become distracted bookworm, especially not by a pretty face.” Lothar said, offering a hand to pull the grumbling Khadgar back to his feet.   
“How did you know she was here?” Khadgar asked, running his ringing head where the blow had landed. He was pretty sure he could hear his brain still rattling in his skull.  
Lothar gave him a wry look “You get the same pining puppy dog look on your face every time you see her, it’s quite pathetic.” He told him.   
“No I don’t” Khadgar mumbled, his expression sullen, sulky.   
“Back in position” Lothar said, biting back an amused smirk.  
It was the first time she had been out to see him practicing the sword with Lothar since she had asked him to take it up. He was always so worried about her almost dying that he never paused to think of himself and after Anduin told her all it took was a hand over his mouth to render Khadgar defenceless she had been insistent he learned to defend himself in other ways too.   
He hadn’t wanted to of course, insisting he needed only magic to defend himself and she was beginning to come around until Lothar had also told her Durotan had had Khadgar silenced and could’ve easily snapped his neck with only a gentle squeeze of his hulking hand. Khadgar had only survived thanks to the mercy of the orc and it was then that she threatened to move out of their rooms and sleep alone unless he took up lessons.   
So now he found himself in the yard for two hours every morning, striped to the waist and dripping with sweat whilst Lothar hammered him with the wooden practice sword. It had been this way every day for the last week and all he gained from the sessions where fresh bruises and an ill-temper.   
“No, keep your legs apart, knees bent like I showed you” Lothar was saying “otherwise you’ll be too easy to throw off balance.”  
Porenn sat watching from her seat on the barrel when Robyn, one of her men, came to stand beside her and offered her the hilt of a practice sword “care to spar with us General? It has been a while.”  
She smiled and politely shook her head “I shouldn’t” she declined “my nurse over there won’t be happy if I exert myself too much.” Her hands itched to take up the sword and show the new recruits what she could do, but she knew it wasn’t worth the fight it would start. At least, not yet.   
Robyn nodded and turned his gaze to where Lothar was attacking Khadgar and he was attempting to parry the blows “How has he been doing?” she asked.   
Robyn let out a slow sigh and crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a look that told her she shouldn’t expect too much from her lover “He tries hard and doesn’t give up even when he wants to. I think has you to thank for that” he said, glancing sideways at her as she grinned and her face lit up at the thought “He’ll never be a swordsman, but he’ll be able to defend himself should he ever need to.” He told her.  
She nodded “That’s all I ask.” Satisfied.   
They both fell silent and watched Khadgar training with Lothar. He held his own reasonably well, though Lothar was going very easy on him, and she could see that he had learned how to block and parry as well as attack and how important a correct stance was. She couldn’t keep a smug smirk from her face when they switched up and Khadgar went on the attack, managing to crack Lothar across the ribs with what would’ve been a lethal swipe had those swords been actual steel.   
She applauded him enthusiastically, which earned her a sharp glare from Lothar.   
Khadgar blushed furiously and looked at his feet, but she could see the proud grin on his face. She smirked to herself, he may not make a master swordsman any time soon but he did look very nice all sweaty and shirtless with a sword in hand, even if it was just a practice blade.   
“General” Robyn said, looking at her with a curious frown creasing his face.  
“Yes?”  
He cleared his throat before turning to face her, clearly troubled by something “Forgive me if I pry to deeply but.. isn’t he a little… well, young?” he asked curiously, half grimacing as though anticipating a physical blow.   
Instead of punching or verbally berating the soldier she instead laughed and clapped him on the shoulder “Worry not Robyn you aren’t the first to suggest I have taken a child to bed.” Nor would he be the last. It seemed their involvement had been the topic of many whispered conversations “He looks young, I know. But Khadgar is in truth twenty three, not seventeen as rumour would suggest.”  
Robyn avoided her eye and began to adjust one of the buckles on his sword belt “I never heard… I’m not one for gossip General… Not that I would’ve believed such… I know you’re an honourable lady General.” She chuckled at him.   
Across the yard Lothar and Khadgar finished their session for the day and put their swords away. Khadgar was panting, trying to catch his breath as he picked up his shirt and walked over to where she was sitting.   
“Hi.” he panted before giving her a quick, sweaty kiss. He placed his hands on the barrel either side of her and bent his head whilst he caught his breath. 

Khadgar winced as she rubbed cream into the purple bruise on his ribs.   
“Don’t be such a baby.” she chuckled, leaning forward to kiss him on the chest. A blow Lothar had landed on his ribs during their training session had bruised beautifully, leaving his side looking like a ripe plum.   
“It hurt you know” he complained.   
She gave him a look that told him to man up “You know, it may be hard to believe but I’ve had quite a few bruises caused by those practice swords myself Khad, you won’t get any sympathy here.”  
He pouted and took her face in his hands, bringing it to his for a kiss.  
“But you’re tougher than me.” He whined.  
She shrugged and said “I had to start somewhere too. Trust me, I’ve had bruises layered on bruises on top of bruises, you’re getting off easy.”   
He leaned back on the bed and brought her forward, on her knees between his legs “You wanted to put me through this remember.” He reminded her.   
She nodded, moulding her hands over his shoulders and biceps “And it was for your own good. Why can’t you just heal this and stop whining?”  
He shrugged “I’m a mage, not a priest, I can’t cast healing spells.”  
She frowned, confused “You healed me.” She reminded him.   
He exhaled slowly and she saw a shadow of deep routed, troubling confusion fall over his face. He gazed off into the distance as he absentmindedly played with one of her hands, she could almost see the cogs turning in his mind, trying to fit the pieces of an impossible puzzle together “That was… different. I don’t… I don’t know what happened… how it happened. I… I don’t know… that was… unusual” the subject clearly troubled him and Porenn had to suppress a shiver that threatened to face down her spine, suddenly feeling a chill despite the logs crackling in their hearth. Khadgar was the smartest person she knew and if he didn’t understand something then the thought frightened her.   
His expression changed suddenly and he looked up at her with bright eyes, smiling to reassure her and rubbing her arms. The last thing he wanted was to lay his troubles on her “Let me teach you some magic.” He said.   
She blinked in surprised and smiled “What?”  
“Come on” he said, taking her by the hips and standing them both up “it’ll be fun, let me teach you.”   
He turned her around and stood behind her, his arms surrounding her and his hands over hers “it’s easy look, just move your hands like this” he said, moving their hands together, gently guiding her fingers.  
“Like this?” she asked, glancing up at him as she followed the pattern he drew through the air.   
He grinned at her and nodded “Just like that.” He said. Initially she felt a little foolish waving her hands around in the air, fully aware she looked like a damn fool. But in reality she saw Khadgar doing the same most every day and he never looked foolish, so she supposed she wouldn’t either, even if he had had years more practice at it than her.   
“What kind of spell is this?”  
“Just an arcane blast.” He said, gently correcting the positioning of her fingers.   
Behind her she heard him chuckle “That’s it, you’re doing great.” He kissed the side of her head “now you need the incantation. Slowly now, make sure you enunciate correctly okay? Sha’la ros. Just like that.”  
She nodded “Shalaros” she repeated   
He laughed and moved to guide her hands again “Don’t forget the movements okay? And slow down a little. Sha’la ros.” He instructed.   
“Okay I got it” she muttered, concentrating hard. Her hands moved just the way he showed her and she repeated the incantation perfectly, but nothing came of it.  
Her hands fell to her side dejectedly after almost fifteen minutes trying “I can’t do it Khad” she pouted, turning to face him.  
He smiled at her and took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, she looked adorable when she pouted “Wielding magic is hard, it takes a long time to learn. You did wonderful, keep trying.” He said, pulling her into his chest.   
“Keep practicing the sword for me and I’ll keep trying.” She offered.  
He kissed her forehead then her mouth “Deal,” he said, walking her backwards with his arms still around her, hands on her lower back “but first, I want a bath and I don’t want it alone.” He caught her mouth again in a deep, open mouthed kiss that left her gasped for air. 

It seemed every time he saw her over the next few days Khadgar saw Porenn practicing the arcane blast, though with no success.   
He kept up his end of the bargain and continued his daily lessons with Lothar and felt like he was actually picking it up, but he could see her becoming more frustrated with her with every new failure and he hated to see her so upset with herself. However, he couldn’t help but smile and beam with pride whenever he caught her practicing when she thought no one was watching.   
It was a week or so after her first lesson when they were sitting around the elaborately carved table that Taria used to host dinner parties after finishing their evening meal when it finally worked and her relentless efforts paid off.   
Khadgar was talking with Taria when an almighty crash and an echoing boom shook the room and Anduin was suddenly thrown from his chair. Khadgar’s head span around in time to see the blue runes he knew better than almost anything else flying across the room after the disgruntled soldier who landed in a groaning heap on the floor.  
“Sorry!” Porenn grimaced, getting to her feet and peering over the table as Taria fought to hide her laughter behind her hand upon realising what he happened.   
She turned to Khadgar with eyes lit up like moonstones and beamed at him “I did it! I actually did it!” she exclaimed, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.   
Khadgar felt pride swell in his chest and couldn’t keep the grin from his face because _God she’s adorable._  
On the floor, Lothar groaned “I’m going to kill you spell-chucker.”


End file.
